Valve lock remover and catcher



March 16, 1943. R. MONNQT' 2,313,885

VALVE LOCK REMOVER AND GATCHEB Filed Jul 19, 1941 I VEN OR ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 16, 1943 VALVE LOCK REMOVER AND CA'TCHER Robert Monnot, San Carlos, Calif., assignor of onealf to Oharles F. Huling, Mountain View,

Calif Application July 19, 1941, Serial No. 403,195 2 Claims. ((ll. 813) The present invention relates particularly to means for removing the split conical locking devices from the lower ends of poppet-valve stems of internal combustion engines, and for catching the same in such a manner as to make their removal from the engine a very simple and easy procedure.

It is one object of the invention to provide a tool of the character indicated that can be readily applied to valve stem assemblies of all types commonly found in internal combustion engines, and accommodate itself to any existing variation in spacing of the looks from the lower end of the valve stems.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a tool of the character indicated provided with self-contained means for breaking the valve lock ber, mounted on the bottom of basin rearwardparts away from the valve stem, and positively receive and retain the parts when from the stem.

It is also an object to provide a tool of the character indicated that will be economical to manufacture, that will consist of but few and simple parts, and that will be strong, durable, and highly efficient in its practical application.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a device embodying my invention, with a valve stem shown in section in position thereon.

Figure 2 is a sectional view on line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3 of Figure 1 with a portion of a valve stem and associated parts thereon.

Figure 4 is a perspective illustration of the positioning guide mounted on the bottom ofthe device.

Figure 5 is a perspective illustration of a portion of the forward end of the device on line 33, Figure 1.

In the specific embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, I show at I an elongated strip of sheet metal having sideflanges 2 and 3 formed thereon, the tapering portion of the strip forming a handle 4, and the wider end of the strip forming a basin 5 by reason of the flanges 2 and 3 being carried, or continued, around the end of the same as shown.

In the bottom of basin 5 is a slot 6. This slot 6 is symmetrically disposed along the longitudinal median line of basin 5, beginning at a point adjacent its forward edge as shown, and has a width sufiicient to receive the end of a valve stem.

At 7 is shown a fiat resilient, or spring memthey fall away ly of the slot 6 and extending forwardly to underlie and close the slot 6 from below and to resiliently support a Valve stem when the device is in an operative position.

The spring member 1 is but slightly wider than the slot 6, and mounted on the bottom basin 5 and on each side of the member 1 in parallel relation with the said spring member "I, and consequently with the slot 6, is a vertically depending guide 8, the guides 88 forming a guideway 9. The guide parts 8-8 are attached to the bottom of basin 5 as at l0, and are preferably made of resilient material. Being free of attachment throughout their length they readily adapt themselves to any push-rod head they straddle as hereinafter described.

Punched up from the bottom of basin 5, one on each side of the slot 6 and substantially midway the length thereof, and extending laterally with respect thereto and from its two side edges, are upstanding low flange ll-|l.

The device is used in the following manner, the parts now to be referred to being typical of the present methods of construction in the automobile industry.

A portion of an engine block is indicated at l2, with a valve stem guide at l3 and a portion of a valve and stem at I4. The customary split conijcal lock is shown at l5 on the lower end of the stem I4, the valve-spring retainer being'shown at l6, and the spring itself at 17. As shown here the retainer I6 is elevated, and the spring I! compressed in the usual manner by any suitable tool not shown. The upper end of the push-rod actuating the valve I4 is indicated at I8.

The constant pounding of the push-rod on the valve-stem invariably results in seating the parts l5 so tightly in the spring retainer [6 that when the spring is compressed and the retainer raised into some such position as shown, these parts l5, and the valve upon which they are mounted, are also elevated, forming a gap between the pushrod and the valve-stem. The tool described is thrust into this gap with the guides 8-8 straddling the push-rod head, thus centering the device longitudinally thereon, so that the pushrod will rest directly on thespringi when it drops down. A tap on the top of the valve 14 will now cause the parts IE to separate from the retainer l6 and to cause the valve to drop down on to the spring member 1.

In the above described operation the descent either part [5 falls away from the stem it is, of course caught in the basin 5. If one of the parts l5, or both of them, which is usually the case, remain in position on the valve-stem, it is only necessary for the operator to move the device need not be closed in such a manner as to hold a fluid substance but only sufficiently to prevent.- the escape of the lock I5. Likewise, while'a cer tain arrangement of slot 6 and underlying spring "3 is shown, they may be arranged in various ways and, on occasion, may be eliminated in whole or in part. the valve a number of times to force the parts HH between the parts Iii-i5 sumciently far to pry them off, and the spring 1 provides a resilient support for the valve-stem and permits this operation.

Having now illustrated and described one specific embodiment of my invention, I wish it to be understood that my invention is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangement of parts described and shown except insofar as such'limitations are specified in theappended claims,

Usually it is necessary to tap I claim:

1. A device of the character described comprising, a handled basin adapted to be inserted between a poppet-valve push-rod and its cooperating valve stem, and having a slot formed in the bottom thereof sufiiciently wide to permit the passage of a valve stem therethrough, a resilient member mounted on the bottom of the basin to underlie and cover said slot and resiliently support a valve stem thereon, guide means disposed on the underside of the basin on either side of the resilient member to form a guideway operative to slidably engage a push-rod head and center the resilient member thereon, and means disposed on the inner surface of the basin and on either side of said slot, operative to engage the split-cone lock members on the overlying valve stem to dislodge the same therefrom.

2. A device of the character described comprising, a handled basin adapted to be inserted between a'poppet valve push-rod and its cooperating valve-stem and having a passage formed in the bottom thereof of sufficient size to permit the passage of a valve-stem therethrough, resilient means associated with said basin and disposed to lie across and resiliently obstruct said passage and support a valve-stem, and split cone lock member dislodging means disposed on the inner side of the basin adjacent said passage.

ROBERT MONNOT. 

